Songs of Experience: A Poison Tree

Songs of Experience: A Poison Tree by William Blake is a profound example of the artist’s integrated approach to illuminated printing, merging his iconic poetry with intricate visual design. Executed during the period of 1794 to 1825, this piece utilizes a relief etching base printed in an orange-brown ink. Blake meticulously enhanced the printed lines by hand-coloring the work with delicate watercolor washes and traces of shell gold, demonstrating his mastery of both printmaking and traditional illustration. This technique allowed him complete control over the creative process, ensuring that the visual and textual elements of the poem were inseparable.

The image functions as an illustration of Blake’s accompanying verse, detailing the corrosive nature of suppressed anger. The composition depicts two human figures; one figure lies prone beneath a gnarled, dark tree, representing the fatal outcome of vengeance, while the speaker looks on. This visual narrative vividly complements the poem’s stark message about nurturing secret wrath until it bears deadly fruit. The themes explored within the print are central to the overall discourse of the Songs of Experience, a cycle of poetry that critiques societal structures and the darker psychological states contrasted against the hopeful innocence of Blake’s earlier works.

As a print, this relief etching forms part of a distinctive body of work through which Blake disseminated his unique spiritual and political philosophy. The classification confirms its importance to the history of illustrated texts and fine prints from the Romantic era. Surviving prints, many now in the public domain, attest to Blake's innovative approach to book production outside established presses. This particularly well-preserved example of Songs of Experience: A Poison Tree is housed in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.